Published
2 years agoon
A poll conducted by a nonpartisan religious research group finds that 3 in 10 Republicans agree with the statement “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.”
The poll results were released Monday by the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C..
PRRI said that 11% of Democrats and 17% of independents concurred that violence could be needed to save the United States. Among Republicans who most trust far-right news sources, agreement soared to 40%. Among all respondents, there was 18% agreement.
The poll noted that following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, “the prospect of political violence threatening a peaceful transfer of power has become more than an abstract question.”
You can read the entire poll at this link.
While many of the poll’s queries illuminated the nation’s political divide, 74% of those participating in the poll indicated that America has always been a force for good in the world.
In addition, more than 9 in ten Americans say that it is somewhat or very important to being “truly American” to believe in individual freedoms. Among them: freedom of speech (95% ), the right to vote for every citizen (93%), and accepting people of diverse racial and religious grounds (92%).
However, more than two-thirds of Republicans (70%) say American culture and way of life have changed for the worse since the 1950s. In contrast, 63% of Democrats say that American culture and way of life have changed for the better. Among all Americans, 52% say it has changed for the worse.
Other poll highlights:
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email